5 AM Hobbit reaction post
That's right, friends. I just got back from seeing The Hobbit, and instead of sleeping like a sensible person, I'm going to share my thoughts.
Man, being in the movie theater for this film was a reminder of how magical The Fellowship Of The Ring felt the first time around. From the very start, I was sucked right back into Middle Earth and was thoroughly entertained until the end. An hour into the film I remember thinking, I'm so glad there are two more hours of this!
So first, let me state that Martin Freeman is wonderful and perfect and get that out of the way. I could watch his facial expressions all day long. I wish he had 90% of the dialog in the movie, but you can't have everything, I suppose.
And Bilbo's comic and endearing bewilderment was perfect for the tone of the film, which was surprisingly different from The Lord Of The Rings. It's not a children's movie by any means, but everything feels just a bit more fantastical than the original series, less rooted in the "real world." Here, injuries aren't as serious, the bad guys aren't as scary, and the laws of physics seem easier to bend. I found myself glad that they didn't try to give The Hobbit the same solemnity as LotR, because it just wouldn't have fit.
My favorite part, far and away, would be the showdown between Bilbo and Gollum. While the entire film is entertaining, that particular scene just sings. Andy Serkis gives an incredible portrayal of a Gollum who is child-like and sympathetic while also being utterly cracked, and therefor terrifying. And the tension between him and Martin is electric. I don't think it's an accident that this scene, out of the whole film, stays closest to the source material, or that it goes uninterrupted from start to finish even though the audience knows there's action happening elsewhere. It is absolutely the heart of the film, and it couldn't be more perfect.
I only had two major complaints (well, three, because there can never be enough Martin Freeman). The first is the portrayal of Radagast, who surprised me by being in the film at all. They make him a complete cartoon character, which didn't match up with my mental image in the slightest. And my second complaint is all the time and energy spent trying to make Thorin seem brave and kingly, when it usually comes off as over the top. It's either lazy character development, or the actor isn't delivering it right; but either way, whenever he stared moodily into the distance, or menacingly at a foe, it just made me want to laugh.
Okay, fourth complaint: Smaug doesn't have any lines, dammit!
But all in all, I loved it, and I need the next one to come out. Stat.